Academic performance isn’t the only thing that determines whether Gen Z students enjoy their school day.
Classroom engagement, supportive teachers and a sense of belonging best predicted middle and high schoolers’ overall enjoyment of school, according to Gallup’s fourth annual Voices of Gen Z Study.
Just under half of the 1,758 students surveyed this year said they enjoyed going to school every day or most days. These factors are also closely linked to students’ sense of optimism and preparedness for the future, according to the study.
To measure classroom engagement, the survey asked Gen Z students if they felt their schoolwork was important, interesting or challenging, among other questions. Positive responses have mostly improved or held steady since the survey began in 2023, but a large portion of students still find their schoolwork lacking.
Roughly four in 10 students did not agree that they learned something interesting in the past week, and nearly half felt that school did not allow them to use their individual strengths.
Teachers can have a significant impact on Gen Z students beyond their academic needs, the study also found. The most engaged students were most likely to report having meaningful relationships with teachers and other adults at school who asked about their wellbeing and supported their goals.
Still, many students miss these key relationships; roughly three in 10 said they don’t have a school adult who regularly checks in with them or recognizes their talents and interests.
Feeling belonging and connection among their classmates also affected student engagement and school enjoyment. Only 51% of students who said they have things in common with few or none of their peers agreed that they belong at school, compared to 87% of students who have things in common with all or most of them.
Students who enjoy school also have a positive outlook on their futures, according to the study. Of the most engaged students, 81% agreed that they felt prepared for the future, compared to 27% of the least engaged students.
Overall, four in 10 Gen Z students did not feel prepared, including half of those who don’t plan to attend college. But having frequent, future-forward conversations with school adults and career-centered coursework significantly improved students’ confidence in their futures.
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